Cable fishing tool



June 17', 1924.

A. L. TRAILOR ET AL CABLE FISHING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sha a 1 Filed Aug. 291923 June 17 1924.

1,498,251 A. L. TRAILOR ET AL CABLE FISHING TOOL Filed Aug. 29 1923 2Sheets5heet 2 JJT J0 7? es,

Patented June 17, 1924-.

UNITED: STATES PATENTTOFFICE.

I ALBERT L. TBAILOR AND JOHNIE J. JONES, OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS; SAIDTRAILOR ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS INTEREST TO SAID JONES.

CABLE FISHING iroon.

Application filed August 29, 1923. Serial No. 659,943.,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT L. TRAILOR and o HNIn J. JONES, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Wichita Falls, in the county of Wichitaand State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCable Fishing Tools, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this inventionis the production of a fishing tool forrecovering lugs, parts of machinery, etc, which may have fallen throughan oil or other well casing.

' In carrying out our invention we propose to produce a fishing toolcomprising a pair of pivotally connected jaws normally sustained in openposition and susceptible, when brought against an article to berecovered to automatically release the spacing means therebetween and togravitate on the supporting stem therefor to permit of the swinging ofsaid aws on their pivots to closed and gripping position.

It is also our purpose to produce a fishingtool inwhich gripping jawsare employed and which have slidably arranged between the pivotal meanstherefor a stem on which there is a slidable element; engageable withthe aws for holding the same spread, the lower end of the stem being inthe path of contact with a latch comprising pivotally connected linkswhich also assist in holding the jaws in open position, and whereby,when the jaws are brought against an article to be recovered the stemwill be moved outwardlybetween the jaws orthe jaws upwardly on the stemwhereby the stem will contact and break the latching means, release theholding means and perunit of the jaws swinging to closed position, thesaid jaws being so'influenced and locked by contacting engagementthereof with an element on said stem. f I

It is a further object to produce a fish- 'ing tool characteristicofsimplicity in con struction, cheapness in manufacture. and

thorough efficiency in operation.

With the foregoing, and other objects in view which will presentthemselves as the nature of the invention is disclosed, reference is tobe had to the drawings whichaccompany and which plication.

Inthe drawings:- I

Figure l is a side elevation of our imformpart of this ap proved fishingtool, the jawsbeing in open position.

Figure 2 is a similar view with the jaws closed, parts being "insection. 1

Figure 3 is an edgeview. e

c Figure 4; is a sectional view. on the ie-4 of Figure l. r j l c Figure5 is a sectional "view onthe line 5+5 of Figure 1.

line

Figure 6 is a perspective view of theslidable element which holdsthejawsopen.

' Referring now to the drawings in detail,

the jaws of our improvement are broadly indicated by the numeral 1. Twojaws are employed but as each is of asimilar construction a descriptionof one will be taken as applicable to the other. Each jaw has at itsupper end a lateral extension providing ears 2. The ears, adjacenttotheir ends have aligning openings which gradually decrease in size;from the center to the ends thereof, and through the aligning pairs ofopenings there are passed headed bolts 3 engaged by nuts 4. The boltscentralize the stem, hereinafter to be described,

with respect to the jaws, assist in sustaining the jaws in proper spacedrelation, and limit the swinging of the jaws to closed position. Belowthe-ears'2, each jaw hasits inner dge inclined as at 5, and at suit bl6. The spaced block has its ends bifurcated toreceive therein therespective jaws, and pivot members 9 connect the block and jaws.

there is arrangcda latch. The latch com prisesa pair of links 10respectively each of which being pivoted to one of thejaws 1. One of thelinks 10 has its free end re At a suitable distance below the lugs 6'duced to provide a tongue that is received in the bifurcated free end ofthe other link,

a pivot 11 passing throughthe said ends of the links. This pivot alsoconnects a bail 12 to the latch. The bail has an outer orupper eyeportion 13' to which a cable is attached. The confronting ends ofthelinks 10 are preferably formed with' ears "thereis a frust'o-conicalmember 18.

14 designed for abutment whereby the links are sustained at an I anglewith respect to each other when the jaws are in open po sition, asdisclosed in Figure 1.

The spacer block 8 is provided with a central opening throughwhichpasses a'portion of the suspending stem 15 of the improvement. The stem,below the'block 8 is provided with spaced enlargements or flanges 16 and17 respectively. 'Slidable'on the stem, between the flanges 16andTlll'l' e member 18 is susceptible to movement between "and tocontact with thelu'gs 6' to hold the jaws 1 in spread position, thelatch also sustaining the jaws in such position.

The steni has theportion thereof abovethe block 8 formed with a conicalenlargement 1'9'ar'ranged between the angle surfacesh on therjaws', andthe outer end of the stem is provided with the usual shoulder andthreaded lug on which the next stem section isse- "cured. 7

By ,refe'renc'e'to Figure 1 of the drawings it will be seen that whenthe spreader element 18 is'arranged between the lugs *6 the flange 16ofthe stem 15 is disposed in jslight contact therewith and that the lowerflange 17 is arranged directly abovean'd in thepath of contact with thebail 13 of the breakable latch. 'Theto'ol is lowered in the well casingin the usual manner. When either of the aws contacts an article to berecovered the jaws will necessarilyhalt in -t heir' downward movement inthe well, while theistem will be still lowered. The lowering of the stemcauses the flangeleto move the spreader element from between the lugs6and the flange .17 to breakthe joint of the latch. The jaws by theirweight willswingto'closed position, but an'up'ward pullon the stem willbring the conical enlargements 19 in wiping engagementwith the inclinedsurfaces 5 on the aws, "thus further swinging the jaws to closed andgripping "position so that thearticle between the jaws will'belo'cjkedthereto. Should the weight 'of the grip ed o'bstacle prove suchthat the fishing too is rendered liable to breakage, the stem is againlowered to bring the conical enlargement thereof a sufficient distancebelowthe angle surfaces of the jaws to allow the spreading of thelatter. The jaws are swung tospr'ead position by a pull on a cable 20secured to the eye 13 on'the bail 12 ot' the latchfsuch pull. causingthe spreading of the links or arms of'the latch, and consequent openingof the jaws. Thus the fishing tool may be drawn out of the well hole.The fr-ustoconical member 19 is preferably removably secured on the stemso that various sizes of these members may be employed.

While we have herein set forth a satisfacnature oi the sameis such as torender our stem engageable with the jaws to hold the latter in spreadcondition, a breakable latch below the stem also holding the jaws inspread condition, elements on the stem sus- 'ceptible to contact withthe spacer member and with the latch to move the former outofj'aw"engagement and to break'the latter to permit of the jaws swingingtoclosed position wlien'co'ntacting "an obstacle.

2. In a fishing'tool, a'pair of-sp'acedipivot'allv'conne'cted jaws, astem therebetween, a slid'ab'le' element on 'thestemengaging the jawstorfsustaining the same in spread "condition, a fixed element on thestem having a wiping engagement with the jaws "for likewisesus'tainingthe latter in spread "condition, a breakable latch pivoted to the jaws"belowmhe stem, means on the stem for'contacting the 'sli'd'able elementto releasethe same from ,jaw "engagement when the stem "is moveddownwardl *between the jaws,

means on the stem for breaking the jointed latch when so movedto permitof the-closing of the aws and said fixed-element-o'n the stem designedto move the jaws to fiirther closed position "when an'u-pw'ard pull isexerted on said stem.

8. In a fishing tool, a pair of jaws,"=a "sp'acer blockto which the jaws:are pivot-ed,

lugs on the jaws below the spacer*hloc k,'a

breakable latch "pivotally "connected to the jawsdesigned to assist inholding the-same inopen position, a stem "between the-jaws movablethrough the spacer"bloickf-spaced 'flan'ges thereon, aslidab'le elementen the 'ste'In between "said flanges designed to be arranged between thelugs toaalso hold the 'jawsin open position, a conicalenlargement on thestem above the spacer block in wiping engagement withthe jaws, and 'saids'tem,

whenmoved downwardly between' the jaws,

when the'latter are halted in movement by contact with an obstacledesigned to have its lower flange break the latch and movetheslidable"element-from between the lugs to permit of the s'wii'iging ofthe *jawstoward each other,anidan upward movement of the between, aslidablespacer member on the stem engageable with the jaws to hold thelatter in spread conditionya breakable {latch below the stem alsoholding the jaws in spread condition, elements on the stem sus-.

, ceptible to contact with the spacer member and with the latch to movethe former out of jaw engagement and to break the latter to permit ofthe jaws swinging to closed position when contacting an obstacle, meanscentralizing the stem with respect to the jaws, providing guides forsaid jaws, and limiting the swinging of the jaws in closed position.

5. In a fishing tool, a pair of spaced pivotally connected gripping aws,a stem therebetween, a slidable spacer member on the stem engageablewith the jaws to hold the 15 latter in spread condition, a breakablelatch and with the latch to move the former out of jaw engagement and tobreak the latter to permit of the jaws swinging to closedhposition whencontacting an obstacle, and flexible means associated with the latchoperable to influence the same to spread the jaws when the stem is againlowered, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we afix our signatures.

ALBERT L. TRAILOR. JOHNIE J. JoNEs. p

